May 23, 2019
Board of Directors and CEO, Ventura County Fairgrounds
10 W Harbor Blvd.
Ventura, CA 93001
Honorable Board Members and CEO:
We write to urge you to end the gun shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, a state-owned property
that has prided itself in offering agricultural, educational, recreational, and entertainment events in a
safe and “family friendly” environment. We are not fighting the Second Amendment, but strongly
support efforts to ban gun shows at this State-owned venue.
With almost 40,000 U.S. firearm fatalities in 2018, it is critical to address gun violence as a major public
health problem. Gun shows glorify gun culture for our youth, many of whom now fear a mass shooting
at their school. Promoting the sale of more guns and ammunition at the Fairgrounds may contribute to
future homicides, firearm injuries, suicides, accidental deaths, and gun trafficking. Target shooting has
also been identified as the cause of numerous California forest fires, putting the lives of firefighters and
residents at risk.
We adopted a public health approach to evaluate the pros and cons of gun shows, considering empirical
research, a focus on prevention, and community stakeholder engagement. Thank you for reading and
considering the case made in the following document. We hope you will put child and community safety
above Fairground profits, and act to end future gun shows at your upcoming meeting. Prevention of
future gun violence is key. Our youth need to know that you are doing everything in your power to
insure their future safety and well-being. The decision you make on May 28th could save a child’s life
and help to protect your own loved ones.
Respectfully,
Troy Corley, Oxnard
NeverAgainCA—Ventura County
NeverAgainCAVentura@gmail.com
Sheila Smith, Camarillo
Michael Cervantes, Oxnard
Carl E. Smith, Camarillo
Veterans for Peace, Ventura County Chapter
sheilas45@roadrunner.com
Karen Peters, Newbury Park
Ventura County Chapter of Brady United
kempeters@gmail.com
Gina Muscatel and Jon Cummings, co-founders
Indivisible: Conejo
jon.cummings@indivisibleconejo.org

 Grace Mansfield, Ventura
Ventura Chapter, National Association of Students Against Gun Violence
Gracie Pekrul and Hannah Yale, Chapter Leads
March for Our Lives Ventura County
Beth Mansfield, Ventura
Concerned Citizen
bethmansfield@gmail.com
Julie A. Martinez Diaz, Moorpark
Community Activist
CasaArteArch@att.net
Steve Nash, Oxnard
Community Activist
mrswn@hotmail.com
Leanna Brand, founder
Indivisible 25 Simi Valley Porter Ranch
leannabrand@me.com.
Tiffany Lewis
First Vice Chair, Ventura County Democratic Party
lewis.tiffany.p@gmail.com
Kimia Mohebi, Never Again SoCal
& Moorpark College Dems
Libby Higgins
VC Indivisible & Dem Moms of Camarillo
libbyhigginsmail@gmail.com
Martha Martinez-Bravo, PsyD, Camarillo
Democratic Moms of Camarillo
martitamartinezbravo@gmail.com
Janet Eckhouse, Oak Park
Ventura County Chapter of Brady United
janeteckhouse@sbcglobal.net

 Banning Gun Shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds:
A Call to Action for Gun Violence Prevention in Ventura County Communities
Summary
Residents of Ventura County and the state of California have suffered mass shooting incidents and
continue to witness high numbers of gun deaths. Yet despite these tragic events, guns and ammunition
are regularly sold at publicly-owned facilities, including the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Community
members and students from schools throughout the County have urged the Ventura County Fairboard
to cease hosting gun shows. Adopting a public health approach, the following document provides a
rationale for terminating gun shows at the state-owned Fairgrounds.
Background
The vast majority of public health scientists and criminologists agree that the more guns, the more
homicide and crime. A review of research by the Harvard Injury Control Research Center reveals that
with higher levels of household gun ownership, there are more gun homicides, total homicides, gun
suicides, and accidental gun deaths.1 Firearms are now the second leading cause of death for American
children and teens.2 In an average month, 50 American women are shot to death by an intimate partner,
and the risk of homicide increases 5-fold when the partner owns a firearm.3
Gun sales are currently increasing in California and nationally. In 2016, there was a 15% increase in
California’s gun-related homicide rate, reversing years of decline beginning in 2008. The violent crime
rate further increased in both the State and Ventura County in 2017. 4
Given the latter research and recent trends, Ventura County residents have urged Fair Board members
to adopt a public health approach to reducing gun violence and protecting the public’s safety. The
national Institute of Medicine defines a public health approach as including three major elements: a
focus on prevention, a reliance on scientific research to identify risk and patterns, and multidisciplinary
collaboration, including community engagement, to address the problem. Adopting this approach, we
respectfully present reasons to terminate the Crossroads Gun Shows at the publicly-owned Ventura
County Fairgrounds. Our opposition to these shows is based on: 1) Detrimental Effects of Promoting
Gun Culture; 2) Negative Impacts on Students and Families, Schools, and Communities, and 3) Legal
Risks to the Ventura County Fair Board.
Detrimental Effects of Promoting Gun Culture
Gun shows have been described as a “flea market for firearms,” enabling participants to buy, sell, and
trade firearms and firearm-related accessories. California gun show attendees, including young children,
encounter vendors and tables covered with thousands of conventional handguns (including semiautomatic pistols), shotguns, rifles, antique/replica guns, knives, and swords. Vendors also sell gun parts
and accessories, ammunition, body armor, books, and merchandise only peripherally related to guns
and shooting, such as t-shirts and jewelry.
In 2009, the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis Department of
Emergency Medicine produced a report, Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks
Nobody’s Watching.5 This report documents the broad range of activities that take place at gun shows,
identifying activities that that pose problems for the public’s health and safety. The report is based on
direct observations made at 78 gun shows in 19 states, including the Gun Shows held in Ventura County.

 In addition to identifying several illegal practices observed at gun shows, the UC Davis report highlights
three aspects of a gun show’s social environment that may contribute to future firearm violence. These
include: 1) facilitating children’s access to firearms, 2) promoting objectification and violence in
relationships between men and women, and 3) endorsing violence as a problem-solving tool.
Photographs in the report, including those taken at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, raise questions
about whether these events are truly “Family Friendly.” The report notes that “Children receive a steady
stream of messages encouraging gun use, largely untampered by information or behaviors promoting
gun safety. Their involvement progresses from observation and imitative play in the preschool years
through independent exploration to active participation in the buying and selling of guns by early
adolescence. Messages endorsing the use of violence--sometimes indiscriminate violence—to address
complex social and geopolitical problems are widespread. Support for alternative approaches was
never observed.”5, p 207-208 The researchers found “frequent expressions of misogyny in both the
products available and sentiments expressed by attendees,” with women devalued and treated as
objects of sexual gratification.5, p 220-221
Gun shows also feature technical books on specific guns, how-to manuals for gun maintenance and
modification, and weapon-making, including “manuals for converting conventional weapons into
machine guns, for making silencers, for making and using explosive devices, and for shooting down an
airplane.” 5, p 204 T-shirts and bumper stickers with pro-gun messages “are ubiquitous,” but more
concerning are “materials promoting violence and irresponsible gun use” (e.g., bumper stickers reading
‘Execute Antiwar Demonstrators’ and ‘When in Doubt, Empty the Magazine’). 5, p 216 Some gun shows
also feature white supremacist materials.5
Clearly, there is no unitary gun show culture and gun show attendees have different experiences at
different shows. However, attendees at the March and May 2018 Crossroads Gun Shows in Del Mar and
the May show in Ventura County observed several immediate safety concerns for young children and
youth, including guns and knives on tables that were easily accessible to unsupervised children. 6
Observers also noted a failure to check all attendees’ bags for their contents at the gun show entrance,
posing a risk for visitors to bring loaded weapons into the crowded Fairgrounds. At its September 2018
meeting, several Del Mar Fair Board members who oversee the Del Mar Gun Shows also noted their
distress at seeing “do-it-yourself kits available to make illegal automatic weapons” and “wagonloads of
ammunition” being purchased at the show, including hollow-point bullets designed to expand rapidly
when they hit flesh and cause more serious wounds.
Negative Impacts on Students and Families, Schools and Communities
Local Students Fearful of Mass Shootings at School
The tragic November 7, 2018 mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, which
killed 13 and injured 12, has heightened anxiety about future shootings among Ventura County
students. Additionally, there have been several threats of school shootings at area schools, including
Santa Paula and Renaissance High Schools earlier this week. Thus, it is not surprising that hundreds of
local students have voiced fears and anxiety about the possibility of mass shootings at their schools,
seriously disrupting their academic experience and learning environment.
A recent national study by the Pew Research Center found that the majority of teens (57%) are ‘very
worried’ or ‘somewhat worried’ about the possibility of a shooting occurring at their school, and only
13% said they are ‘not at all worried.’8 Nonwhite teens, including 73% of Hispanic students, were even
more fearful than their white peers. Parents of teen students expressed similar levels of concern, with

 63% very worried or somewhat worried about a shooting happening at their child’s school. 8 Active
shooter drills are now held in many County schools. Fears for children’s safety are also shared by the
federal government. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security announced a grant program to
teach high school students “mass casualty survival techniques” in the event of school shootings,
including “medical triage and bleeding control techniques to help victims who have sustained traumatic
injuries until first responders arrive.” 9
As school shootings become more common, it is important to note the psychological toll that witnessing
or worrying about the threat of gun violence has on children. Numerous studies have found that
exposure to firearm violence can have long-term detrimental effects, including increased anxiety, anger,
depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sleep disorders, and other symptoms of trauma. 10
Children may also exhibit regressions in their development (e.g., bedwetting), physical ailments,
difficulties in concentration, and declines in academic performance .10 Even the perceived threat of a
school shooting can be damaging to children’s mental health, placing them at risk for developing
anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and mood disorders.10
Many Ventura County students have voiced their determination to actively work for school safety and
violence prevention initiatives. Ventura County March For Our Lives, National Association of Students
Against Gun Violence - Ventura Chapter and others were formed to combat school and community
violence, organized walkouts to honor the Parkland victims, as well as rallys and marches throughout the
County. Several local students have also appealed directly to the Ventura County Fair Board to
terminate the gun shows. Grace Mansfield, a leader from the NASAGV Club at Ventura High School:
“Holding gun shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds shows just how careless adults have become with
their children’s safety and the safety of the community. Gun shows perpetuate a culture in which having
a weapon designed for military use and capable of ending dozens of lives in seconds is normal or
necessary. Following the Borderline shooting, it is disrespectful and callous to hold these events which
glorify guns, despite Ventura County’s youth having shown how much we oppose their ability to rip apart
classrooms and families, and our confidence that we are safe. I am ashamed that gun shows at the
Ventura County Fairgrounds has been allowed to continue in light of all of the children who have died
due to the inability of adults to take decisive actions on gun control.”
Guns Associated with Increased Risk for Suicide

Another danger associated with gun ownership is completed suicide. Half of all gun deaths in California,
and almost two thirds in Ventura County, are suicides.11 Suicide is also the second most prevalent cause
of U.S. deaths for youth and young adults aged 10 to 24 years.12 Multiple studies over two decades
reveal a strong association between the presence of a firearm in the home and an increased risk of
suicide for both the gun’s owner and his/her spouse and children. 12
Guns are not the most frequent way to attempt suicide, but they are the most fatal. Gun availability
increases the risk because most attempts are impulsive. One study found that among those who made
near-lethal attempts, a quarter took less than 5 minutes and 70% less than an hour between the
decision to kill themselves and an actual attempt.12 Among individuals who survive suicide attempts,
about 90% do not go on to kill themselves later on.13
Suicide is the leading cause of death among military veterans, and military suicide rates are increasing.
Firearms currently account for 68% of veteran suicides. 13 A recent study of student veterans who had

 deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan, reported that 20% of these veterans reported suicidal thoughts
with an actual suicide plan, and almost half (46%) had thought about killing themselves at one point. 14
These rates are 6 times higher than college students in general. When a public health professional
discussed this study with several student veterans (now successfully managing their PTSD), the students
shared that they would have likely purchased a gun for a suicide attempt from a gun show. When
pressed for reasons, veterans stated, “It’s the most hassle-free way to get a gun,” and “Gun show sellers
are there to make the sale… They don’t really care about what you want (the gun) for.” Notably, there
are approximately 42,000 veterans in Ventura County.15
The strongest predictor of how likely a person will die from a suicide attempt is a gun in the home. A gun
at home makes suicide 3 times more likely, regardless of the type of gun, method of storage, or number
of guns in the household.12 Thus, limiting easy access to guns can play a key role in suicide prevention,
especially for youth and young adults.
Ventura County Communities Opposed to Gun Shows
Growing numbers of Ventura County residents are opposing gun shows at the County Fairgrounds,
viewing a ban as an important step in combatting the promotion and glorification of gun culture and
reducing the incidence of firearm violence. NeverAgainCA – Ventura has collected the signatures of
more than 3,000 residents opposed to gun shows at the fairgrounds. The county’s Board of Supervisors
passed a resolution asking the Fair Board to stop hosting gun shows and the Oxnard City Council, which
represents the county’s largest city, passed a similar resolution. Notably, the Ventura County Fair
Board’s written policy directs Board members to consider local community values, standards, and
ordinances when entering into Fairground contracts.
Other California communities have also moved to ban gun and ammunition sales on public properties. In
April 2019, the Cow Palace Board of Directors voted unanimously to end Gun Shows at the venue,
beginning in January 2020. 16 In September 2018, the Del Mar Fair Board voted 8-1 to suspend
Fairground Gun Shows for up to one year while the Board developed a policy that would likely require a
complete ban on the exhibition and sale of firearms and ammunition (allowing only educational events).
17 In April 2019, the State Assembly voted 48-16 to approve Assemblyman Todd Gloria’s bill to prohibit
sales of guns and ammunition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds beginning in 2021, with the legislation now
moving to the state Senate. 18 San Mateo County, Marin County, Santa Clara County, San Francisco, and
the city of Glendale have successfully banned gun shows.6 Notably, Democratic Governor Gavin
Newsom has also supported a ban on gun shows at state fairgrounds.19
Gun Shows a Source of Illegally Trafficked Firearms
Most violent criminals don’t purchase their guns directly from gun shows. However, researchers have
found that gun shows are “the critical moment in the chain of custody for many guns, the point at which
they move from the somewhat-regulated legal market to the shadowy, no-questions-asked illegal
market.”20 A report released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF),
examining federal gun-trafficking prosecutions involving 84,000+ illegal guns, found that 30% of the total
cases had a gun-show connection.21 Additionally, both U.S. and Mexican officials express concerns
about gun trafficking to Mexico. ATF reported that 87% of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and
traced over a 5 year period came from the U.S., noting that these firearms have become increasingly
more powerful and lethal. Many of these firearms were originally purchased from gun shops and gun
shows in southwest border states.21

 Target Shooting Responsible for Some State Forest Fires
Gun shows also provide easy access to reduced cost ammunition for target shooting. One clear risk of
target shooting in the current environment is the possibility of forest fires. Ventura County residents are
well aware of this threat, having endured the massively destructive Thomas fire that burned 282,000
acres in 2017, as well as the 2018 Woolsey and Hill fires. In February 2019, the U.S. Forest Service
extended a one-year ban on unmanaged target shooting throughout the Los Padres National Forest. This
ban allows forest officials and volunteers to address the proliferation of wildfires, litter, soil and water
contamination, vandalism, endangered wildlife impacts, and other public safety and environmental
hazards “caused by decades of unmanagede target shooting across nearly two million acres of public
lands in Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and western Kern Counties.” 22 Recent forest
fires ignited by target shooting in California (e.g., 2017 Detwiler Fire in Mariposa County near Yosemite)
and other states have led to major fires, burning forests, destroying homes and businesses, and placing
firefighters and residents at risk for injury and loss of life.
Legal Risks for the Ventura County Fair Board
Investigations of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows
In 2018, 10 organizations, led by the San Francisco Chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence and including NeverAgainCA, united to ask the California Department of Justice to conduct a
comprehensive investigation of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows.23,24 Crossroads is the company that
produces gun shows at state-owned venues in California, including the Ventura County and Del Mar
Fairgrounds and Cow Palace in Daly City. Concerns include the discovery that the Crossroads CEO and
former Vice President have been convicted of violating federal firearms laws and apparently did not
disclose those convictions when entering into gun show contracts with state agencies. The
organizations’ letter also cites a 2013 lawsuit brought by the San Francisco City Attorney against
Crossroads and several gun sellers, alleging efforts to evade the state ban on the sale, manufacture, and
import of large capacity magazines. All ten of the organizations noted above question the wisdom of
hiring persons convicted of violating federal gun laws to run community gun shows.
Liability in Accidental or Negligent Shootings at Gun Shows
There have been numerous documented violations at Crossroads of the West Gun Shows at other
venues, including 35 accidental (negligent) discharges of loaded firearms.25 If a gun show vendor’s or
attendee’s carelessness contributed to the incident, the courts will consider several factors to determine
liability. Crossroads carries only $1 million of liability insurance, a figure woefully insufficient given the
potential for significant injury or death resulting from an accidental or negligent shooting. In some cases,
the Fairgrounds may also face some degree of responsibility and liability, and be a party in a major
lawsuit. Personal injury attorneys will help accidental shooting victims sue for large damage awards to
obtain a sense of justice and begin their recovery process. For example, medical treatment, skilled
nursing care for serious injuries, and compensation for lost work and pain and suffering will likely cost
millions. Wrongful death cases may also be brought by heirs of shooting victims for very substantial
damage awards.
Request for Action: End Gun Shows at the Ventura County Fairgrounds
In summary, residents, students and families from throughout Ventura County are urging the Fair Board
to ban future gun shows. This call to action is based on a public health approach to gun violence and
suicide prevention, drawing on empirical research, a prevention focus, and stakeholder engagement in

 decision-making. Gun violence takes a daily toll on the lives of Californians and Americans. State
residents have grown tired of the thoughts and prayers, flags at half mast, and sorrowful speeches that
accompany senseless shootings.
The time for action is now. Families and communities are demanding meaningful solutions to the gun
violence epidemic. Thus, we ask the Ventura County Fair Board to put child and community safety above
Fairground profits from gun and ammunition sales. Fair Board members have a unique opportunity to
reduce access to firearms that may be used in future school shootings, homicides, suicides, and violent
crimes----inflicting grief and trauma on survivors, friends and families, teachers, first responders, and
health professionals. Please ban the gun shows to ensure our publicly-owned Fairgrounds can live up to
its mission as a safe and “family friendly” venue. Your decision on May 28 th could save the life of a child
and help to protect the people you love.
References
1. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/
2. http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/data/state-data-repository/protect-children-not-gunskey-facts-2013.pdf
3. https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/Guns-and-Domestic-Violencefact-sheet.pdf
4. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2017-10-07/californias-gunrelated-homicide-rate-up
https://www.ppic.org/publication/crime-trends-in-california/
5. http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/vprp/pdf/Wintemute_InsideGunShows.pdf
6. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/sd-me-gun-shows-20180525-story.html
7. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Torrey-Pines-High-School-Closed-Due-to-ThreatPrincipal-484173441.html
8. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/04/18/a-majority-of-u-s-teens-fear-a-shootingcould-happen-at-their-school-and-most-parents-share-their-concern/
9. http://time.com/5366929/school-shooting-trauma-training-high-school-students/
10. https://www.psycom.net/mental-health-wellbeing/school-shooting-survivor-mental-health/
11. http://efsgv.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Firearm-Suicide-in-California-November-2017updated-1.pdf
https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/02/25/ventura-county-gun-deaths-suicides-nothomicides-account-most/2933485002/
12. http://www.bradycampaign.org/sites/default/files/Brady-Guns-Suicide-Report-2016.pdf
13. https://www.thetrace.org/2016/09/10-facts-guns-suicide-prevention-month/
14. https://www.livescience.com/15428-military-veterans-college-students-suicide-risk.html
15. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/venturacountycalifornia/PST045218
16. https://www.sfexaminer.com/the-city/cow-palace-board-votes-to-end-gun-shows/
17. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-gunshow-suspended20180911-story.html
18. https://www.delmartimes.net/news/sd-cm-nc-gun-bill-20190426-htmlstory.html
19. http://www.delmartimes.net/news/sd-cm-nc-gun-show-20180425-story.html
20. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/guns-crime/reports/2013/12/13/80795/the-gundebate-1-year-after-newtown/

 21. https://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/vprp/pdf/IGS/IGS1web.pdf
22. https://lpfw.org/forest-service-protects-los-padres-national-forest-from-unmanaged-targetshooting/
23. http://neveragainca.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Brady-Organization-Calls-for-DOJInvestigaton-of-Crossroads-of-the-West-Gun-Shows-1.pdf
24. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-gun-show-20180522story.html
25. https://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/faq/